A Truly International Week In Store

By Geoffrey Riddle 
Thanks to Wesley Ward's troop of ten horses that have arrived in Britain, Royal Ascot next week is set to be the most international that there has ever been. After a numerically strong challenge in Dubai on World Cup night in March, American trainers have embraced the five-day Royal meeting, which starts on Tuesday, like never before. Graham Motion's Miss Temple City (Temple City), George Weaver's Cyclogenisis (Stormy Atlantic) and Art Sherman's California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) make up a team of 13 US challengers. They form the backbone of a 20-strong raiding party from outside of Europe. What can the Americans expect? Bookmakers Paddy Power have priced up how many winners Ward might achieve and make exactly one winner their 5-4 favorite. He is 8-1 to register three or more winners with the Irish firm. Finnegan (Ire) (Unbridled's Song) looks Ward's best opportunity of adding to his wins at the meeting with Jealous Again (Trippi), Strike The Tiger (Tiger Ridge), No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) and Hootenanny (Quality Road). 

Finnegan will be Ward's first runner of the week when he takes his chance in the G2 Coventry S. The colt won a maiden over five furlongs at Pimlico last month in 56.78s, which was 0.74 off the time achieved by Ben's Cat (Parker's Storm Cat) a day earlier in a Listed turf sprint on slightly better ground. He looks good, but Finnegan could well be left in the wake of Jim Bolger's Round Two (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) who won the Listed Marble Hill S. at the Curragh three weeks ago. It was a smart performance to beat Washington DC (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), Aidan O'Brien's favorite, by two lengths and there was no hiding the admiration that trainer Jim Bolger had for his colt afterwards. Post-race comments can often be taken with a pinch of salt, but not these. “If you wouldn't get excited by him you wouldn't be alive,” he said.

A California Chrome success at Ascot would be a fairytale for so many reasons. Should he prevail in the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. on Wednesday he will avenge the previous defeats at the meeting of Kentucky Derby winners Omaha in 1936 and Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimeux {Brz}) two seasons ago. Work rider Robbie Mills revealed at Rae Guest's stables on Thursday that California Chrome has finally got the hang of racing right-handed, and it does not look the deepest field so connections can go in to the race confident of making an impression. Dermot Weld's Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) has shown in four starts that he has superstar potential, but he missed the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup due to a head cold and has yet to be fully proven at international Group 1 level. He could well be the real thing, but he looks a weak favorite at 3-1 and the Japanese could well re-write the script with Spielberg (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Japan have never had a winner at Royal Ascot, although Agnes World (Danzig) went close when second to Nuclear Debate (Geiger Counter) in the 2000 G2 King's Stand S. Spielberg's turn of foot proved far too potent for dual Japan Cup and Dubai Sheema Classic winner Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1Tenno Sho in November. The Deep Impact colt finished ahead of the mare again when third to Epiphaneia (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S)and Just A Way (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G1 Japan Cup a few weeks later. Although only fifth on his reappearance in April, Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto, has stated the race at Hanshin on unsuitably soft ground was simply a prep race for the trip to Britain. He looks a big price with the British bookmakers at 12-1.

Wesley Ward's Hootenanny returns to Ascot in the inaugural G1 Commonwealth Cup on Friday. The race for 3-year-old sprinters looks one of the most competitive contests of the entire meeting. Timeform 
rate favorite Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) on a par with speedy filly Tiggy Wiggy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) at 121, with Hootenanny on 119. As a contrast, supplemented American challenger Cyclogenisis has a Timeform rating of just 109p. Tiggy Wiggy could well run on Tuesday in the G1 King's Stand S., for which she holds an entry, so with Limato suffering his first defeat on his sixth start in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes a fortnight ago this could well be at the mercy of Ward's challenger. William Haggas's Adaay (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) beat Limato at Haydock and relished the fast pace when he scythed through late on from the back of the field to win by a length. He could well be improving in what looks likely to be a big field and he looks a big price at 8-1 with the British bookmakers.